Blissful Sleep Consultancy

12/10/2022

Sharing this again for the impending clock change!

Remember those days before children where the clocks going back meant an extra hour in bed? Oh they were the days!

Now, when you have children that wake at 6 and the clocks are due to change, you and I both know that without intervention your little one will merrily wake at 5 and no body wants that!

Here are your 3 options;

⏰ Starting from Wednesday move your daily routine 15 minutes later each day; naps, meals and bedtimes 15 minutes later until the clocks change. If your little one is sensitive to wake windows and
changes you could start this Saturday and do 15 minutes every 2 days.

⏰ The night of the clock change push bedtime back by 30 minutes if your little one will cope - this isn't going to guarantee a later wake the next day, but it should make the adjustment period shorter!

⏰ Or, if this all sounds like waaaaay too much effort you can also do nothing! Just stick to your routine and within a week or so of the clock change your little on should have adjusted!

⏲ Whatever you decide to do - try to get some really good sleep hygiene in there to help with adjustment; lots of fresh air and bright day times, limit screen time and blue light exposure and really dark calm bedtimes.

Share this with or tag a parent that might benefit from this

31/10/2021

Black Friday and Christmas are well on their way so I thought I'd help you save some money for those events!

In my bid to get on Santas nice list I'm offering 25% off all my sleep packages for ALL of November.

Get your free fact finding calls booked in and make the most of this discount! x

21/10/2021

Remember those days before children where the clocks going back meant an extra hour in bed? Oh they were the days!

Now, when you have children that wake at 6 and the clocks are due to change, you and I both know that without intervention your little one will merrily wake at 5 and no body wants that!

Here are your 3 options;

⏰ Starting from Wednesday move your daily routine 15 minutes later each day; naps, meals and bedtimes 15 minutes later until the clocks change. If your little one is sensitive to wake windows and
changes you could start this Saturday and do 15 minutes every 2 days.

⏰ The night of the clock change push bedtime back by 30 minutes if your little one will cope - this isn't going to guarantee a later wake the next day, but it should make the adjustment period shorter!

⏰ Or, if this all sounds like waaaaay too much effort you can also do nothing! Just stick to your routine and within a week or so of the clock change your little on should have adjusted!

⏲ Whatever you decide to do - try to get some really good sleep hygiene in there to help with adjustment; lots of fresh air and bright day times, limit screen time and blue light exposure and really dark calm bedtimes.

Share this with or tag a parent that might benefit from this

07/10/2021

My top advice

Manage expectations.

After a week away on holiday with; the boys being extremely poorly, myself getting a sickness bug, the boys being overwhelmed at times, travel cots not fitting in our accommodation so using holiday to trial 'big boy beds'. Safe to say that, whilst the boys took to the beds with ease, the illnesses meant that not a lot of sleep or relaxing was achieved in the first few days!

Disappointment started to set in that we weren't enjoying it to the full, when they were having more tantrums than normal and when they were so poorly that they needed to rest more, but then I reminded myself to manage my expectations and that is the piece of advice I would give to any parent!

We are all guilty of expecting too much of our babies and young children. I remember feeling like a failure when at 2 months old they were still waking multiple times a night, we all have 'friends' whose baby slept through from a month old. After reading up on the fourth trimester and speaking to other parents I realised that waking multiple times a night is the norm, after being comfy and cosy in the womb, they obviously will be daunted and unsettled in the big and bright wide world.

On a weekly basis I am having to manage my expectations, parenting can feel like a slog sometimes but I find I always feel much better when I take a step back and remind myself they are learning so much about the world and to lower my expectations to reach their level, anything else is then a bonus!!

22/09/2021

Out of office until Monday October 4th.

We're due to go on holiday Friday and I was planning on working up until then, however the plague has hit our house so motherhood calls, I have 2 poorly boys who need lots of sofa snuggles and my attention.

Unless you're a current client or prearranged I won't be replying to emails and texts until Monday October 4th.

Please feel free to get in touch and I well get back to you as soon as Im back from my holiday ☺️. X

20/09/2021

Unplanned car naps, we've all experienced them! 😴😖😴

Just the other day I got cocky and left it a bit late to leave my friends house when it was nearing the boys nap time. As they are over 2 and they have become pretty adaptable I was certain they'd survive the 20 minute drive home awake, ignorantly I was ignoring the amount of walking and running they'd done. I pulled into my driveway to find 2 very much asleep boys. So if, unlike me, you don't fancy sitting in a stationary car quietly eating McDonalds whilst your kids sleep then take a look at this handy graphic!

Generally if you transfer a sleeping baby from one place (the car) to their cot, they will wake soon after very confused and most likely upset!

As with all things baby, this isn't cut and dry. You may need to tweak the timings and figure out what works for you, but this is a rough guide to follow!

Hopefully this helps at least one person avoid sitting in their car for an hour, quietly unwrapping a McDonalds and not moving!

Do as I say not as I do 😂🤣

15/09/2021

This sort of feedback makes every bit of work and juggling I do worthwhile!

Please reach out to me if you're struggling and lets see how I can make your day and nights easier!

13/09/2021

Baby Sleep Cycle and Wakefulness!

Sleep cycle lengths vary for day and night sleep; however if your little one is waking after one sleep cycle for their nap, no doubt they're doing the same at night and probably waking every hour!

This is where learning the skill of self settling comes in handy! Babies who are able to self settle can link their sleep cycles and therefore sleep for longer stretches day and night.

Perpetually short naps or broken night sleep will create chronic overtiredness and their sleep will only get worse.

A lot of parents tell me they feel guilty for expecting their child to self settle, but when taught gently, it is an invaluable skill to teach your child. Also you cannot be expected to be the best parent you can be when you're being woken all night long - you cant pour from an empty cup!

With my help you will be able to give your child, your family and yourself the gift of sleep! By teaching them the skill of self settling you should help limit frequent waking, early waking and inadequate naps. x

06/09/2021

Nap Strikes!

Being asked what age a baby or toddler should drop naps is my number 1 most asked question, it normally stems from the child refusing to nap for a day or two!

I've just experienced this with my own boys; normally great sleepers, 2 weeks ago they started to refuse to nap! Playing, talking and jumping was far more interesting to them than nap time. So begins everyone's advice; "My toddler had stopped napping completely by their second birthday, it's time to drop their nap". Not only am I reluctant to relinquish my hour of me time every day, my 2 could not currently survive consecutive days without a nap.

❓❓ SO what is a nap strike and how do we solve them?

❌ A nap strike normally happens as your child nears the age where they might begin to drop a nap. They do everything they can to fight a nap and it makes you start to believe they're ready to drop a nap.

⭕ If your 10 month old is suddenly dictating that they don't want to nap but you know by the schedule below they should be having 2 naps, then it's most likely a nap strike.

3-5 Months - 3-4 Naps
6-9 Months - 2-3 Naps
9 - 15/18 Months - 2 Naps
15/18 Months - 3/4 Years - 1 Nap

🔴 How to solve it?
- Make sure that their amount of sleep in 24 hours is appropriate for their age and wake windows are appropriate.
- Offer a slightly earlier bedtime on days without a nap.
- Don't panic and stay consistent. A missed nap here and there isn't the end of the world. Keep putting them down for nap time and making it clear it's nap time.
- Offer a bit more support to help them sleep if needed, try not to make this a constant though.
- Most nap strikes only last a few days, if they continue then we need to look at what the cause could be - New sibling, starting nursery, travelling, illness etc...

❗ Remember there are always exceptions to the rules! Whilst I have managed to get my 2 sleeping for an hour again each day, some children really will be ready to drop the nap before others! If you have looked and what the cause could be and stayed consistent but they still wont nap then offer quiet time in place of that nap!

25/08/2021

Rates of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) have shown a decrease for 2019 in England and Wales according to figures released today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

23/08/2021

🔴 When your baby wakes about 30-45 minutes after you've put them down to bed this is known as a False Start!

🕢 It's always just as you've finishing cleaning up for the night and have sat down to enjoy some peace and quiet

So why do these happen?

❌ Overtired baby

⚫ On days where you baby might have had a much shorter nap than normal, consider putting them to bed slightly earlier - 15/30 mins. Also consider whether your wake windows and total day sleep are appropriate for your babies actual or developmental age.

❌ Under tired baby

⚫ Hitting that sweet spot of correct sleep can be difficult, too much sleep and the reverse of overtiredness hits. Once again check that their day sleep total is appropriate for their actual or developmental age. A bedtime that is too early limits how much 'sleep pressure' builds - try popping them to bed 15 mins later.

❌ How are they falling asleep?

⚫ One of the most common causes of a False Start is a baby needing a prop to fall asleep such as; as dummy, a feed or being rocked/cuddled to sleep. This often causes them to not be in a deep sleep and wake after one sleep cycle.

◼ As well as not being in a deep sleep, they are often being put to bed once they've fallen asleep. Imagine if you, as an adult, fell asleep and woke up in the middle of a supermarket or somewhere else - it'd be quite jarring!

❌ Disturbances

⚫ There are easy things you can do to help limit disturbances and rule them out as a cause of False Starts; constant white noise, a room so dark you can't see your hand in front of your face and a room temperature of 16-20 degrees.

🔴 Hopefully if you're struggling with False Starts the above helps solve your problem! If you're still struggling or want any more information please drop me a message and arrange your free fact finder phone call! x

10/08/2021

Inadequate nap lengths and cutting naps too soon is one of the main causes of poor sleeping in children!

Hopefully this little infographic helps you with some sleep struggles you may be experiencing or sets you up in good stead for expectant little ones!

If you find you're still experiencing sleep issues then please contact me for your free fact finding phone call and let's see how I can help you! x